Route 2: Soak up some sunlight and dive into the tropical sea. The plantain, sugar cane and eucalyptus in Leizhou Peninsula of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, will ease your fatigue during the six-hour ride to the wharf in Hai’an town, where you will be shipped to the provincial capital Haikou by ferry. Drive to Bo’ao to see the Yudai Beach, the world’s narrowest and longest stretch of beach that separates the sea from fresh water. It looks like a white ribbon floating on the tumbling waves. Head for Sanya after lunch. Besides paddling at the beach, you can also venture into Yalongwan Tropical Forest Park for a look at an eco-system that you can’t find anywhere else in China, except for Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province. Take a boat to Wuzhizhou Island for water activities. Here you can explore the sea by snorkeling or diving. Adventure seekers can try water-skiing or parasailing. Those who prefer relaxing can take a yacht out to the sea to fish. Spend a night at a seaside villa, where you can fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Go to Nantian Hot Spring Resort nearby to wind down. There are 34 pools of different shapes and medical functions. You can also order spa services. Head back to Sanya and go west for a tour of Hainan. You can stop at Shihua Water Tunnel in Danzhou city and take a boat into the long, narrow caves to see nature’s craftsmanship. The stones have been shaped by water drops, and some look like flowers, waterfalls and elephants. The Yangpu Ancient Salt Field is another site you should not miss. You can learn about the amazing methods invented hundreds of years ago that people still use today to evaporate seawater and produce salt. If you spend the night in Haikou, stop at Chengmai Fushan Coffee Culture Gallery and try a local blend from Fushan town, whose coffee plantation has the longest history in Hainan. Then embark on the journey back to Guangzhou.

IF YOU GO: Enter the Guangzhou siding of Shenyang-Haikou highway via Guangzhou Huancheng Expressway. You will enter the highway by driving about 43 km down the siding. Go down Shenyang-Haikou highway for about 480 km and take the Xuwen exit onto national road 207. Take the road to Hai’an port. Take the one-and-a-half-hour ferry ride to Haikou. Go along the Hainan Ring Expressway, or national road 98. It will take you from Haikou to Bo’ao, Sanya and Danzhou and then back to Haikou.

Contact the writer at xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn.

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